Self-Control at High and Low Levels of Mental Construal Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • The present experiment tested the hypothesis that low-level construalsa known contributor to self-control failurecan improve self-control under some circumstances. In support of this hypothesis, the authors found evidence that low-level construals (relative to high-level construals) improve performance on a measure of response inhibition that requires close attention and responsiveness to the immediate environmentthe stop signal task (SST). They also found evidence, consistent with previous research, that high-level construals (relative to low-level construals) improve performance on a modified version of the SST (i.e., the delay SST) that requires both response inhibition and goal maintenance in working memory. These results suggest that, depending on the nature of the task, either low-level construals or high-level construals can enhance self-control.

published proceedings

  • SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PERSONALITY SCIENCE

author list (cited authors)

  • Schmeichel, B. J., Vohs, K. D., & Duke, S. C.

citation count

  • 72

complete list of authors

  • Schmeichel, Brandon J||Vohs, Kathleen D||Duke, S Cristina

publication date

  • March 2011